


Give Us This Night

by zeest



Category: Samurai Warriors
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-02-28
Updated: 2011-02-28
Packaged: 2017-10-16 00:19:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/166409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zeest/pseuds/zeest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the escaping from Kyoto, Mitsunari finds it hard to gather the strength to fight again. Sakon might have the solution to that. SW2 canon only, with references to a couple of events in SW2 Empires.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Give Us This Night

**Author's Note:**

> A revised version of the one on my lj. Many thanks to silverlined for the beta work.

Three months had passed since Mitsunari began living a life of isolation at Sawayama Castle. Three months since an all-out assault had been declared on him at Osaka and trailed him to Kyoto where he barely escaped with his life. Now, it was the height of summer and the heat beat down mercilessly on the denizens of the castle. Even up in the mountain where the castle stood, there was hardly any breeze and the trees offered scant respite from the midday sun.

Sakon walked slowly towards Mitsunari's rooms, a light sheen of sweat covering his body despite his efforts to keep himself cool. As he turned the corner he could see Mitsunari sitting on the shaded veranda outside his rooms. He was leaning against a pillar, eyes closed although the stiffness of his pose showed that he was not asleep. His hands loosely clasped a small fan and Sakon immediately thought of the larger iron fan his lord wielded on the battlefield, now sitting closed on the weapons rack, untouched since the day they had entered the castle.

Mitsunari had been quiet ever since they retreated to the castle, even more so than usual. Sakon had chalked it up to exhaustion and the bitterness brought on by having so many Toyotomi allies turn their back on him. But days had turned into weeks into months, and Sakon was unused to such long periods of inactivity since he had chosen to serve Mitsunari.

Sakon stepped forward and knelt, bowing his head in greeting. “My lord.”

Mitsunari’s eyes flickered open but he remained silent.

"Do you feel unwell, my lord?" Sakon asked with gentle concern. "You have been staying in your rooms most of the time and the village chief informed me that he is still waiting to talk to you regarding some magisterial matters."

"It's the heat," Mitsunari said succinctly. He sat up and let out a long sigh. "It's hard to focus on work when it's so hot." Never mind that he had worked tirelessly through every summer, every season every year, ever since Sakon could remember.

"Besides," Mitsunari continued, his tone slightly bitter, "It's not like there is anything more I need to do."

"It's not like you to be so apathetic," Sakon said mildly.

Mitsunari let out a soft _hmph_ and turned to face the garden, dismissing Sakon without a word.

"I can't do anything about the summer heat," Sakon said, contemplative, "but perhaps a change of scenery might help."

"What-" Mitsunari began to ask but Sakon had already stood up to go.

"I'll have the servants bring you some barley tea. I have been told that it cools down the body."

Sakon could feel Mitsunari's gaze on his back as he walked away. When he reached the corner, he looked back and smiled. "I have some things to arrange. I'll see you tonight, my lord."

*

"Where are we going?" Mitsunari asked, breaking the silence.

"You'll soon see, my lord," Sakon replied. "We're almost there."

Sakon had burst into his room earlier that night and dragged him out, ignoring his protests. "Let's go for a walk," he had said. And now they were walking down one of the lesser used paths that led down from the mountain to the lake that laid at its feet. The path was narrow with thick overgrowth hindering their way and the trees blocked out most of the moonlight but Sakon carried a lantern that provided them with enough light to see by.

The trees soon thinned and gave way to a pebbly shore. Out from under the coverage of the trees, the moonlight shone brightly with no clouds to dim its brilliance. Soft waves lapped at the shore and a light breeze blew in from across the lake.

"This way." Sakon led Mitsunari to a small boat tethered against a tree stump. Mitsunari glanced at the boat, then back to Sakon.

"Are you suggesting a boat ride in the middle of the night?" he asked in disbelief.

"No better time for a boat ride, my lord," Sakon replied cheerfully, "The moonlight is much gentler than the summer sun."

Mitsunari frowned at his retainer but Sakon did not look his way, busying himself with the ropes anchoring the boat. Seeing that Sakon wasn't going to be deterred, Mitsunari let out a long sigh and climbed into the boat, grumbling under his breath.

Sakon pushed the boat out into the water before climbing in himself and taking up the oars. He rowed steadily and they soon left the shore far behind, the splash of the oars the only sound breaking the silence. The breeze had died down and the surface of the lake was still as a mirror, broken only where the oars hit the water. Around the lake, the looming silhouettes of the mountains stood guard, vast and unmoving.

Sakon pulled the oars up out of the water and let the boat drift. Stretching his arms out, he let out a contented sigh.

"It's so much cooler now that it's night-time.”

"If it is coolness you want, you could have just stayed in and taken a bath," Mitsunari retorted.

"True. But is this not more enjoyable?" Sakon asked cheerfully. "Besides, I've always wanted to go on a late night boat ride."

Mitsunari snorted inelegantly. He tipped his head back to look at the sky, avoiding Sakon's sympathetic gaze.

"I've never realised how many stars you can see at night," Mitsunari said softly.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Sakon asked, looking upwards.

"They'll never change.”

"My lord?"

"The stars. This lake. Even if the castle collapses tomorrow, even if the Osaka goes up in flames, even if there is a revolution and the country is split into pieces; the stars will still be there. The lake will still be here."

"And there will be another two fools rowing out to the middle of the lake late at night to admire the view," Sakon said fondly.

Mitsunari gave Sakon a half-exasperated smile. "Speak for yourself." He leaned over the edge of the boat and dipped his fingers into the cool lake water.

"Sometimes..." Mitsunari's voice trailed off as his eyes followed the ripples forming around and spreading from his fingers until they could no longer be seen.

"Sometimes?" Sakon prompted.

"Sometimes, I wonder what would happen if I just leave. Just walk away to somewhere far and live like a commoner." Mitsunari shook his head and gave a self-deprecating laugh. "It's just a stupid thought."

"You could make a living teaching tea ceremony to stuck-up nobles," Sakon said good-naturedly.

"Teach the young kids how to read and write in the morning, teach the older ones tea ceremony in the afternoon and bonus lessons in arithmetic and finance for the adults in the evening?" Mitsunari said wryly.

"I could be a minstrel and play the biwa to earn my keep," Sakon mused.

"I feel sorry for your audience."

"You wound me, my lord," Sakon replied easily, no real hurt in his voice.

The two of them sat in amicable silence. From the shore, the hoot of an owl drifted across the calm lake.

"Would you come with me?" Mitsunari asked, glancing at Sakon.

"If that is my lord's wish."

"No more fighting. No more trying to please greedy and corrupt lords. No more worrying about alliances and betrayals."

"We would be living just for ourselves."

Mitsunari's head was tilted up towards the sky again, but his eyes were closed, his face peaceful. A slight breeze ruffled his hair, blowing the strands back from his face.

"A peaceful life," Mitsunari said wistfully.

"A peaceful life," Sakon echoed, "under the Tokugawa rule."

Mitsunari stiffened and he glared at Sakon with narrowed eyes. Sakon returned his gaze blandly and resumed rowing.

Mitsunari looked to his right. In the moonlight, the silhouette of Sawayama Castle could be seen clearly, with flickers of light where torches and lanterns indicated the presence of guards. He had repaired and restored the castle when he received it, given to him by Lord Hideyoshi, his mind whispered, and it was now so impressive that its name surpassed his own. The southern courtyard was where Yukimura and Keiji had trained when they were staying briefly at the castle. In his room, a letter from Kanetsugu laid unanswered on his writing desk. His library was there, plain and unadorned but full of books, many which were gifts from the late Hideyoshi. His lord, no longer among the living, whose heir and rule he had sworn to protect.

Mitsunari let out a long, slow breath. "Ieyasu aims to gain control of the whole land. Anyone who supports the Toyotomi is an obstacle to him. Already, he is converting the generals to his side. He easily promises gold and favours, and the fools believe him just as easily," Mitsunari said contemptuously.

"Some would say that keeping the lords happy and satisfied is a good way to avoid war," Sakon pointed out.

"And those who say that are the ones who have not a single loyal bone in their body. They’ll flatter and follow anyone who promises them the highest reward. All they care for is their own comfort; they forget who was the one who had brought peace to the land and gave them the status they have now. There will never be peace if those money-grubbing and power-hungry fools are in control." Mitsunari clenched his fist, his voice growing more indignant with every word. "The Toyotomi, everything Lord Hideyoshi had worked for, they would all come to naught if he is allowed to do as he please."

"And you are the right man to put a stop to it, my lord?" Sakon asked levelly.

“There is no one else.” Mitsunari met Sakon's eyes with a calm and determined gaze. "I can’t do this alone. But I am not alone. I have friends I can depend on, friends who believe in the same dream as I do, friends who will fight with me and for me."

Sakon smiled. "And you know that I will always be by your side to assist you."

"Even if it leads you to your death?" Mitsunari asked in a challenging tone.

"To die fighting for a lord who shares my distaste for injustice is the greatest honour I can receive as a warrior." Sakon bowed his head in obeisance before looking up with a grin. "If I wanted a long and easy life, I would have apprenticed myself to Lord Chousokabe for music lessons."

"Don't kill yourself off so quickly." Mitsunari smiled a rare, honest smile. "Come, it's time to head back. There is still much to be done."

Sakon returned the smile, affection and pride in his eyes. They would rise again, stronger than ever.

 

*

 **epilogue**

It was a cool, late summer's night. A light breeze blew across the lake, breaking the surface into waves and ripples which reflected the moonlight like a thousand tiny gems. Some distance away from the shoreline, a boat with two figures in it drifted with the waves.

"Do you remember the first time we did this?"

"You dragged me here in the middle of the night, without even telling me where we were going." Mitsunari said drily. "That was a little more than a year ago."

Sakon smiled and gestured upwards. "The stars are still here."

"And so is the lake," Mitsunari replied. In the darkness of the night, his voice sounded vulnerable. "I wonder if we'll be here next year."

They sat in silence, the tension of the upcoming battle lying heavy between them.

"Some say that the fate of the country is written in the stars. They believe that everything that has happened and will happened has already been destined and nothing can change the will of the heavens," Sakon said thoughtfully.

"Do you believe in that?" Mitsunari asked.

Sakon shrugged noncommittally. "Who can tell what the stars say? They say that that cluster of stars looks like a bear's head. It looks like a drum to me."

Mitsunari chuckled briefly, then turned serious. "Sakon," he said, his voice determined. "We will win this war. We will protect the Toyotomi and bring peace to the land." His voice softened. "And next year, we will come here again."

Sakon bowed his head in silent agreement.

The stage was set. The battle would be at Sekigahara.


End file.
